Avalanche scratch D Cory Sarich, F Brad Malone at Edmonton

Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog, center, from Sweden, is congratulated by teammates Cory Sarich (16) and Andre Benoit (61) after scoring a goal against the Minnesota Wild during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 30 in Denver. (Jack Dempsey, AP)

EDMONTON, Alberta — In a pregame meeting with reporters at Rexall Place, Patrick Roy said defenseman Cory Sarich and forward Brad Malone will indeed be the two scratches in tonight’s game against the Oilers. Sarich and Malone were the only skaters to shoot on goalies Semyon Varlamov and J.S. Giguere is the morning skate. The 18 other skaters remained at the team hotel in what is becoming a common theme for this team — the Avs’ brass don’t believe in forcing guys to skate on game days, despite not having recently played at that particular rink. This is Colorado’s first visit to Edmonton this year.

The Avs went 3-0 last week in games in which they didn’t have a morning skate … but Roy, of course, didn’t want to discuss that. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, jokingly.

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.

Chambers covers college and professional hockey for The Denver Post. He has written for the Post since 1994, after dumping his first 9-to-5 office job a couple years out of college. He primarily follows the University of Denver hockey team and helps cover the Avalanche.